Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson aren’t just chasing history in 2026; they’re threatening to rewrite the entire offensive record book. What the Chicago Bears unleashed in Week 1 wasn’t a hot start or a fluke. It was a declaration. A warning. A preview of what this pairing intends to do to the NFL over the next four months.
The 59-37 dismantling of the Carolina Panthers was the highest-scoring season opener in league history. It was the first time the former 2023 first overall pick (Bryce Young) and the 2024 first overall pick (Williams) matched up.
The Bears scored eight offensive touchdowns against the Panthers, which is the most, or tied for the most by an NFL franchise in the last three years.
“We didn’t get in this profession trying to be mediocre or average,” Johnson said in his postgame press conference. “We make decisions over the course of a week about what’s best for our football team to win the game. That’s the most important thing. And that goes into everything we do.”
The level of offensive aggression the Bears showcased felt like a manifesto. They accumulated 552 total yards of offense; Williams accounted for 334 total yards and four touchdowns. There was a surgicality to his game, slicing Carolina through the air and making them pay on the ground.
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise; in 2025, the Chicago Bears ranked just behind the Buffalo Bills with 127 explosive plays: runs of 10+ yards and passes of 20+ yards.
Johnson said it himself before the season: he wants the highest-scoring offense ever, more than the 2013 Denver (606 points). That Broncos team averaged 37.9 points per game. This 2026 Bears offense will have to average over 34 points per game for the rest of the season. After Week 1, they’re ahead of schedule.
A Run Game That Forces Honesty
D’Andre Swift’s 124 yards and three touchdowns weren’t window dressing. Kyle Monangai’s 100 yards, including a 61-yard burst, weren’t accidental. Chicago ran for 291 yards, and every carry forced Carolina to widen its defensive footprint.
When a defense has to defend every blade of grass, Williams becomes unguardable with his legs.
According to Next Gen Stats, “Williams reached a top speed of 20.80 miles per hour on his 29-yard touchdown run. Since the start of the 2025 season, Williams has reached 20+ mph seven times as a ball carrier. All other QBs have five such plays.”
The Bears had a 47% neutral pass rate in Week 1. This takes into consideration the first three quarters while the score is within at least seven points or one possession.
“Ben Johnson always gives you something to think about with the run game,” Chris Simms said on his Unbuttoned podcast. “You’re running it here, but you have a screen over here, and you have to worry about Caleb Williams, who is arguably the best bootleg quarterback in the game right now.”
The NFL has produced three 550-yard games in the past two seasons. Two are by the Bears. Since the beginning of the 2025 NFL season, seven teams have rushed for 250+ yards. The Bears have done it three times.
Why Caleb Williams & Ben Johnson Work
The Bears didn’t stumble into this explosion; it’s not smoke and mirrors. It’s the rise of a special duo that will be formidable to NFL defenses for a decade plus.
According to Sheil Kapadia, writer and podcaster for The Ringer, “The Bears have had two 500+ yard games in 20 games with Ben Johnson. They had two 500+ yard games in the previous 25 years (a span of 413 games.”
Chicago ranked ninth in scoring in 2025 (25.9) and fourth in total offense with 375.7 yards per game. Johnson intends to turn the Bears into a points‑per‑snap machine in 2026 and beyond.
Williams’ 269 passing yards were impressive, but his 65 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns were the real stress test. He looked like an MVP candidate because Johnson’s scheme gives him a fully weaponized system built around his strengths.
Back in June, Williams was asked about his relationship with Johnson: “He brings a lot of wisdom to me; he notices things that I don’t notice in the moment,” he said. “His information, his knowledge, his wisdom, it goes along way for me, and I’m 110% in on whatever he says.”
There’s not much doubt: Williams is as talented a quarterback as there is; there’s a reason he was selected No. 1 overall. Johnson knows how to utilize Williams’ talents and trusts his young quarterback to make not only game-winning plays, but off-platform plays.
The arsenal Chicago has built around the former 2024 first overall pick borders on absurd: Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, plus a backfield featuring Swift and second-year runner Monangai. Here’s the kicker: everyone, except Swift, was drafted by the Bears. Two of them, Odunze and Loveland, were top-10 picks in 2024 and 2025.
The NFL MVP race shifted quickly following the Bears’ Week 1 win. Williams’ odds climbed to +700, good for second place alongside Lamar Jackson, with only Josh Allen (+500) ahead, DraftKings reported Sept. 14. FanDuel has Williams’ odds to win the 2026-27 NFL MVP at +900, the fourth shortest odds to win the award.
Week two will be a chess match between Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Williams, and promises to be must‑see theater. Flores has made a habit of turning Williams’ Sundays into survival drills; in four meetings with his Vikings defenses, Chicago has averaged just 19.0 points while surrendering over two sacks per game.
